A Yellowstone deer took a stroll through one of the national park's infamous thermal pools this week, shocking onlookers on the boardwalk nearby.
Yellowstone's hot springs can reach temperatures of 200 degrees Fahrenheit. But luckily for the deer (or you know, animal instincts), this particular pool must have been one of the cooler ones.
According to the National Park Service, the pools vary in temperature, with several of them so hot that they boil and act like a geyser. The water begins as precipitation, which seeps into bedrock and becomes superheated at depth. The hot water then rises back to the surface, creating thermal pools that are often brightly colored thanks to different microorganisms.
In the video of the incident posted on TikTok, the deer calmly walks into the hot spring, wandering through the colorful pool and appearing to sniff at the water. In the background, you can hear people jokingly saying, "So they lied to us?" referencing Yellowstone National Park's strict policy of no swimming or soaking in the park's hot springs.
@lookitsblackdynamite
But just because a deer walked through the pool unscathed doesn't mean you should go hot tubbing during your next visit to the park.
Yellowstone National Park has a warning on its website about the thermal pools, stating that the scalding water and steam from the pools have killed more people in the park than any other natural feature. More than 20 people have died from burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstone's hot springs. The park urges visitors to stay on the boardwalks and not touch the water.
The warning doesn't seem to stop people from getting too close to the water, though.
In 2020, a woman illegally entered Yellowstone National Park when the park was closed due to COVID-19 concerns and fell into a thermal pond when she was taking photos. She suffered significant burns and was airlifted to the burn center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. And North Carolina man was airlifted to a Montana hospital in 2017 after being scalded in the hot springs.
And in 2016, 23-year-old Colin Nathanial Scott dissolved after falling into an acidic hot spring in the park when he and his sister wandered into an unauthorized area while looking for a place to illegally soak in a hot spring.
Rescuers were unable to recover Scott's body right away due to a lightning storm. When they arrived the following day, Scott's body had dissolved in the acidic water.
So, no many how many deer you see wandering into a Yellowstone pool for a hot soak, don't try it for yourself. Even dipping a hand in the water can leave you with serious burns, as some tourists found out the hard way.
READ MORE: The Number One Thing to Know Before You Visit Yellowstone
